The pregnancy whinge post

OK, you'll have to bear with me (or just stop reading - your choice really!), but when you're pregnant it tends to dominate your thinking, particularly as D-Day (which in my case is April 21) draws closer. So this one is not about how marvellous it is being pregnant, but just a little self-indulgent whinge about the less-than-marvellous side effects. As a caveat, it is lovely to be pregnant, and I am thoroughly enjoying it, so don't think I'm just being miserable about the whole thing - I've just got to the point where I'm not sure that all these side effects are truly necessary.

1. Itchiness. As your skin stretches, so it itches. At least mine does, so I've invested in shares in Palmer's, makers of the lovely cocoa butter. Rub all over at least twice a day to avoid itches so itchy that scratching 'til you draw blood is a welcome relief.
2. Hormones. I don't think I've been too bad this time (the comments may refute this, I accept!), but I am grumpier than normal, and more prone to crying. Neither of which is welcome.
3. Boobs. The one side effect I was looking forward to - I was promised big boobs while pregnant, and where are they? Never arrived. I've been robbed. Although Isabel poked one the other day and said "oh, I can feel a bone", so perhaps their texture has changed!
4. Dignity. Or lack of same. Gets worse as the pregnancy progresses - today's example was the midwife poking round me and saying "just yell when I hit your pubic bone". Oh, don't worry about that.....
5. Breathing. Or again, in my case, lack of same. Apparently, in one third of pregnancies the symptoms of asthma improve, in a third they worsen, and in a third they remain the same. No prizes for guessing which category I'm in.
6. Heartburn. 'Nuff said.
7. Loosening of joints and muscle connections, making it very easy to pull rib muscles when I had three weeks of chest infections.
8. The need to pee a lot. But only in small amounts, since by a certain point the baby is sitting on your bladder in such a way that you just can't have a satisfying pee that feels like you've actually finished properly.
   

On reflection, that's not too bad a list. Some people would also have to add bizarre cravings, piles, swollen ankles, and water retention. None of which I have - unless you count a craving for chocolate and McDonald's. Maybe I'm just using the whole cravings thing as an excuse....I figure there's got to be some benefits. See, this turned out to be a positive post after all!